Staff & Council

PASTOR MARK ROSSMAN

Pastor Rossman came to LWLC in March 2014 after serving as pastor at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Pompton Plains, NJ, for nearly two decades (1995 to February 2014). Prior to that he was pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Greenock, PA (1988 to 1990) and then associate pastor and director of youth ministry at Saint Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, MD (1990 to 1995). He succeeds the Rev. John Cockram, a retired ELCA pastor who graciously served as LWLC’s interim pastor for one year.

Born in Brady’s Bend, PA, Pastor Rossman spent his childhood in western Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 1983 and his master of divinity from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in 1988. He was ordained as a minister of the ELCA, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, on June 18, 1988.

Pastor Rossman is firmly committed to leadership by example and what he refers to as “stewardship living.” Driven by his conviction that “what we have been given is to be used not for ourselves but for the world around us,” he responded to a need for volunteer ambulance drivers in New Jersey in the mid-1990s. His subsequent 15 years of volunteer service as an EMT included assisting in 9/11 search-and-rescue efforts. In 2011 Pastor Rossman was instrumental in his congregation’s partnership with Lutheran Disaster Response and another congregation to meet short-term needs related to recurring local flooding. His congregation then became involved in an initiative for longer-term needs: a collaborative effort of religious, governmental, and business leaders to develop a countywide system to distribute financial assistance to people impacted by disasters such as Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy.

In his free time Pastor Rossman enjoys reading, hiking, and pursuing fun activities to enjoy with his children. His son Mason lives with him in Arizona. His son Logan and daughter Emma reside in New Jersey.

Contact Pastor Mark at PastorMark@lwlcaz.org

PASTOR SHARI BERNAU

Pastor Shari Bernau arrived at Living Water Lutheran Church in mid-March to serve as the new Associate Pastor with a focus in Children, Youth and Family Ministries. She was previously at All Saints Lutheran Church in Phoenix, AZ, where she served the past 12 years (2005 to February 2017) as the Associate Pastor of Children, Youth and Family Ministries.

Pastor Shari was born and grew up in a NW suburb of Minneapolis, MN, called Brooklyn Park. Her fondest memories are from the summers spent in her family’s Birchwood, WI, lake home.
She earned bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and International Affairs from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff in 1998 and her Master of Divinity at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary at Berkeley, CA, in 2004. She was ordained as a minister of the ELCA, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, on February 5, 2005.

Youth and Family Ministry is Pastor Shari’s passion. She has shared the love of Christ with the kids of All Saints through leading the confirmation program; directing approximately 20 milestone recognitions, classes and events each year; and managing numerous youth events, fundraisers, camps/retreats and mission trips. Pastor Shari says, “Kids bring out the very best in me, and when I am working with children and youth, I feel as though I am truly using the gifts God has given me.” Within the Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA, Pastor Shari serves on the staff for Lutheran Campfirmation (a one-week camp for junior high students in Payson), is a member of the Leadership Team for this summer’s Synod Partners Service and Learning Trip for high school youth, and was selected to be the Synod Coordinator for the 2018 ELCA National Youth Gathering.

Even though her focus is on Children, Youth and Family Ministries, Pastor Shari has a great deal of experience in the area of worship leadership, preaching, visitation, and officiating memorial services and weddings. Serving in a large congregation during times of transition has provided many opportunities for her to learn and grow into a diversely qualified pastor.
Pastor Shari is married to James, owner-operator of PlayGrounds Fun Zone & Café. They are the parents of Anna (almost 11) and Miriam (age 8). Pastor Shari loves to travel with her husband, and their favorite destination is Mexico. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, hosting parties and guests in her home, walking and hiking, going out to eat and driving her daughters to swim, volleyball and choir practices.